Bibliographic Database Standards and Procedures Manual

Below you will find the Bibliographic Database Standards and Procedures Manual that has been created and maintained by the Database Control Committee.

The Committee will help oversee the management of the Valley Library Consortium (VLC) database in order to further the mission and goals of the VLC and ensure that data entered conforms to mutually agreed upon standards.

Standards

I. Purpose and Governance of the Database Control Committee

The purpose of the Database Control Committee, herein after referred to as the Committee, is to oversee the management of the Valley Library Consortium (VLC) database in order to further the mission and goals of the VLC and ensure that data entered conforms to mutually agreed upon standards.

Under the authority of the Administrative Council, herein after referred to as the Council, the Committee shall be responsible for developing, recommending, and establishing policies, priorities, and procedures for the building and maintenance of the Valley Library Consortium database. The Committee will have the authority to review, approve, and if necessary, reject the entry or utilization of any format for any member library, which does not conform to the standards established by the Committee. Further, the Committee shall have the authority, with the approval of the Council, to review, approve, reschedule, modify, and if warranted, reject any member library's project or program. The Committee will address control of special projects, such as major MARC loading or borrower mailing notification, which threaten to hinder effective response time.

Committee recommendations will be enforced by the Council to ensure the integrity of the database. Member libraries shall have the right to appeal to the Council any recommendation made by the Committee.

The Committee shall consist of one representative from each VLC member library. The appropriate VLC staff members shall serve as ex officio members. The officers will consist of the Chair and the Chair-Elect. The Chair shall be responsible for setting the agenda and conducting the meeting. The Chair-Elect shall serve as Chair in the Chair’s absence. All decisions must be reached by majority vote of the Committee members present, with nine members representing a quorum and each member having one vote. The Committee shall have the authority to establish sub-committees and task forces.

The Council may add or alter representation on the Committee to reflect new membership or other changes within the Consortium. The Committee may invite staff members from prospective libraries to attend Committee meetings.

II. Authority to Enter Bibliographic Records in the VLC Database

Members are responsible for adding MARC bibliographic records for all items entered into the system. All members adding records to the VLC database must use OCLC. Alternatively, participating libraries may enter original bibliographic records if the following conditions are met:

A. Use approved MARC formats.

B. Use the latest editions of the following cataloging tools, as needed. (Some of these tools are available on the web.)

3. Classification scheme (as appropriate to the member library) a. Library of Congress Classification b. Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index c. ANSCR (Alpha-numeric System for Classification of Recordings) d. National Library of Medicine Classification e. Superintendent of Documents number f. Locally defined classification system may be used

C. Participate in a catalog-training course provided by the VLC, the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services, or an accredited university. Other courses may be approved by the Committee.

D. Members wishing to enter original MARC cataloging into the VLC database and to have access to the authority files for the first time are required to follow the procedures as outlined in Procedures, I.A.

III. Authority to Alter Bibliographic Records in the VLC Database

Members are responsible for editing bib records in the database to conform to current Anglo-American Cataloging Rules and Library of Congress Subject Headings. Participating libraries are responsible for training staff to alter or edit bib records. Individuals may alter or edit bib records if the following conditions are met:

C. Participate in a catalog-training course provided by the VLC, the Midwest Collaborative for Library Services, or an accredited university. Other courses may be approved by the Committee.

IV. Bibliographic Record Formats (The following Horizon formats are approved for use)

A. Full MARC Records (Full MARC records are to be input for the majority of the materials in the VLC database.)

1. The descriptive cataloging of complete records must comply with current Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, the Library of Congress Rule Interpretations, and Library of Congress Subject Headings.

2. Records must be encoded in the OCLC-MARC format, which uses the 001 field for the OCLC number. All fields indicated as mandatory or required in the OCLC level I input standards, including fixed fields, must be filled in completely and accurately.

3. Cataloging and coding variations for different types of materials must be followed. The standards to be followed are found in the latest editions of the OCLC manuals.

4. The 040 field containing the cataloging library’s three (3) letter code in subfield a must be present on all records cataloged originally by VLC member libraries on Horizon. Libraries must enter their 3 letter code in subfield d of the 040 when editing records that do not already have the 040 tag.

6. All new MARC records loaded, from whatever source, must be reviewed and brought up to standards once in Horizon by the VLC member attaching the first circulating item. All unique information must be retained and placed on the bib record being saved.

7. Remote-access links. The library attaching the first item to the bib containing a link to an electronic document or page is responsible for maintaining an existing 856 tag (Electronic Location and Access tag) or removing a non-functioning tag from the bibliographic record.

Bib records for restricted resources need language in the 856 $z which reflects who can access the records. Examples: Public Libraries of Saginaw legal service area cardholders click here. Caro, Gladwin, Iosco-Arenac cardholders click here.

Local item records must clearly indicate that the item is not available in physical format and the ITYPE must be one that will not allow holds to be placed on the item

B. Horizon Short MARC (Generic) Records

Bibliographic records in less than full-MARC format are acceptable for certain kinds of ephemeral materials. Complete access is not available for these materials, but some kind of record must be in the database for circulation purposes. Libraries may create agency specific generic bibliographic records. Libraries wishing to attach items to these bibliographic records must follow the examples provided in the Procedures. These records will be designated as “staff only” and will not appear in the public catalog.

Fast-add records are to be used only for circulating materials that have not yet been cataloged. At checkin the Fast-add record will be automatically deleted from the system and a message to that effect will appear on the screen. The Fast-add title will be entered in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS with –FA at the end of the title. Fast-add records will not be permitted to remain on the system longer that 120 days and they will be deleted periodically by VLC. Member libraries are responsible for seeing that Fast-add items are properly cataloged on MARC records. Items circulated on Fast-add records should not have a loan period longer than 90 days.

D. Pre-publication MARC Records from approved utilities

Institutions may load pre-publication MARC records from approved utilities for titles they expect to receive. Libraries may attach their anticipated items to these records.

It is the responsibility of the library attaching the first barcode item for an item available for use to upgrade the record once the item has been received. If the item is NOT received, the bibliographic record must be deleted unless other libraries have attached items.

Libraries that have attached items to a pre-pub bibliographic record must upgrade the items record if the item is received or delete the items record if the item is not received.

E. Acquisitions records

MARC vendor order records may be loaded or Horizon ACQ order records may be created for use with acquisitions. These records must conform to section IX-Acquisistions Records Standards. Records loaded or created for use with this module must be replaced with records from an approved source.

F. Reserve item records

Libraries using Horizon Reserves may create records for reserve items as needed. All information added for reserve items must be in all CAPITAL LETTERS. This includes instructor names, author names, call numbers, course ID’s, and titles and authors of personal items.

IX. Acquisitions Record Standards - Creating the Acquisitions Order Record

A. Authority to enter or alter information in acquisitions

The authority to enter or alter information in acquisitions will be based on the member library successfully completing acquisitions training. If a member library fails to comply with these standards it will be brought to the attention of the Database Committee.

B. Author field (will appear in the catalog)

When entering an author, type in the full name of the author in all capital letters with last name first, followed by a comma, followed by the first name, followed by the middle initial when available (no period), followed by two (2) hyphens and ACQ. (LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL--ACQ) Do not include dates or titles.

Examples: FRANCIS, DICK--ACQ PARKER, ROBERT B--ACQ

When downloading an acquisitions record from a vendor source, the existing author should be followed by two (2) hyphens and ACQ.

C. Title field (will appear in the catalog)

When entering the title, type it in all capital letters. Follow it with two (2) hyphens and ACQ to signify that it is an acquisitions title. Do not put a space between the words and the hyphens. Do not include initial articles (a, an, the) in the title.

Examples: ADVENTURES AT VLC--ACQ GOING TO THE LIBRARY--ACQ

When downloading an acquisitions record from a vendor source, the existing title should be followed by two (2) hyphens and ACQ.

D. Editions field (will appear in the catalog)

When entering an order record from an item other than a regular print item, enter one of the following terms (IN ALL CAPS) in the edition field:

Fill in as much other bibliographic information as possible. Not only may this aid in ordering, but it could also prove helpful to the borrowers.

V. Authority Control

A. Name, Uniform Title and Series Headings

Personal, corporate, and conference names, uniform titles, and series names must follow current AACR standards, as adopted by LC. If LC has not established a particular name form, the cataloging library should do so, following current AACR and LC practice. In the case of name/title headings, the title portion should be formatted to uniform title procedures.

B. Subject Headings

Each library must use the current LC Subject Headings when assigning subjects to items.

All subject headings must be encoded with the proper indicator, in the OCLC-MARC format, in order to keep each system of headings separate.

C. VLC will provide ongoing authority control

VI. Serial vs. Monographic Records

A. Definitions

1. AACR2 defines a monograph as "a nonserial item, i.e., an item either complete in one part or complete, or intended to be completed, in a finite number of separate parts."

2. A serial is defined as a “publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numerical or chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely."

3. A series is defined as a “group of separate items related to one another by the fact that each item bears, in addition to its own title proper, a collective title applying to the group as a whole. The individual items may or may not be numbered.”

B. If the various volumes of a serial contain different information, the library may choose instead to use a monographic record for each volume and then add the appropriate series statements to each record.

C. When adding an item to a serial bib record, a copy record is required for the library.

D. Do not add copy records to monographic bib records.

VII. Database Maintenance

VLC staff shall have the responsibility of coordinating the database input efforts of the individual institutions. Members of the VLC will locate, report, and resolve problems following the procedures established by the VLC.

It is the responsibility of all VLC members to maintain the highest quality bibliographic database. Members must either correct database errors or consult with other affected libraries when in doubt. Recurring or consistent problems should be reported to the Database Chair. When a member is unable to make the correction, refer to the “Reporting Forms” (Procedures, I. F.)

A. Merging Records

1. All unique information must be retained and placed on the bib record being saved.

2. For any distinctive bibliographic work there should be only one record in the database. VLC libraries are expected to follow the guidelines determining what constitutes a distinctive bibliographic work that are provided in the most recent edition of OCLC's Bibliographic Formats and Standards.

3. Merging should be performed on a timely and ongoing basis. Institutions without the ability to merge records should report duplicate title records to the VLC.

4. Priority of Bibliographic Records in the Database

a. A record with an OCLC control number in the 001b. A record with the LCCN in the 001c. The most complete full MARC record

B. Deletion of Records

1. Any time an institution withdraws an item from its collection, authorized personnel at that institution must delete the appropriate items record in a timely manner.

2. Any time an institution has deleted the last items record attached to a bibliographic record, the authorized personnel of that institution MUST delete the bibliographic record.

3. The Committee may recommend system-wide purges of the bibliographic database.

VIII. Enforcement

The official Database Representative is responsible for monitoring and enforcing these standards at her or his institution. Recurring or consistent problems should be reported to the Database Chair. If the institution continues to deviate from the standards, the Committee will discuss the issue and, if necessary, vote whether to submit a formal recommendation to the institution. If the problem persists, it will then be brought to the attention of the Council for final dispensation.

If members do not complete database projects, the VLC staff is authorized to delete the records that do not meet the standards as described in the project.

X. Serials Record Standards

Purpose of serials

The purpose of serials is to allow the VLC member libraries to have online access to their serials holdings and to have the ability to exercise descriptive control over them

B. Authority to enter or alter information in serials

The authority to enter or alter information in serials will be based on the member library successfully completing serials training. If a member library fails to comply with these standards it will be brought to the attention of the Database Committee.

C. Database Maintenance

1. Responsibility

The member library will be responsible for complying with the standards for the serials records.

If a member library chooses not to participate in serials, it is still their responsibility to inform the VLC staff of changes in serials information for those serial titles held by their institutions and included in the VLC database.

2. Serial Bibliographic Records

Full MARC records are to be input for all serials cataloged on the HORIZON system. The standard Horizon serials displays are adaptations of the ANSI Z39.44 standard. When adding a copy record to a serials bibliographic record the member library should use the text serials bibliographic record. When the text record is not available, the bibliographic record in the format for the item in hand should be used.

For those serials received on a daily and weekly basis that migrated, the location information was entered in the title field 245 subfield a. This required separate bibliographic records. The location information is in the city/branch format.

e.g. SAGINAW/HOYT

Serial bibliographic records require the use of the Serials Format as defined in USMARC Format for Bibliographic Data or OCLC's Bibliographic Formats and Standards, utilizing the standards established in the current edition of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

3. Authority Control

In addition to the standards outlined below, the standards as established by the Database Control Committee for monographs also apply for serials. Each member library is required to follow those standards.

4. Each member library actively receiving a serial will establish its own publication pattern.

XI. Community Resources Record Standards

A. Authority to Enter and Alter Records in Community Resources (CR)

1. Community Service Organizations Database

a. Any member library may enter data in this file if the following conditions are met:

i. Libraries must conform to the approved data entry procedures as described in the Community Service Organizations Procedures. Anyone working on data entry must participate in VLC approved training.

ii. Libraries must use the current edition of the Horizon Community Resources User’s and Administrator’s Guide.

iii. Libraries must use the current edition of the Taxonomy of Human Services and the most recent supplements.

iv. Libraries must use the Library of Congress format for geographical subject headings.

v. Each member library is responsible for adding, changing and deleting its own records. A member library may not edit or delete any record input by another member. Requests or changes must be sent to the library, which originally input the data.

b. Database Maintenance of the Community Service Organizations File

i. Each member institution is responsible for soliciting, inputting and updating information about local clubs and service organizations. In cases where these overlap service areas, the libraries must check the Horizon database for existing records.

ii. Each member institution must update information at least every year.

iii. If information is not updated within two (2) years, the record for that organization will be deleted by the VLC.

c. Enforcement

i. Each institution is responsible for designating one individual to monitor and enforce the standards at her or his institution. If an individual notes an error in the CR record that originated at another institution, that individual may not edit or correct it. Contact the originating institution about the error.

ii. The designated staff member at the originating institution will then edit/correct the error within two weeks of the initial complaint.

iii. If the institution continues to deviate from the standards the CR Committee will discuss the issue and, if necessary, vote whether to submit a formal recommendation to the Database Committee. If the problem persists, it will then be brought to the attention of the Administrative Council.

2. Newspaper Indexing Standards

a. Any member library may enter data in this file if the following conditions are met:

i. Libraries must conform to the approved data entry procedures as described in the Newspaper Index procedures. Staff must attend a VLC approved training class.

ii. Each library is responsible for making its own written policy governing what is and is not indexed from its local paper. Each library will be responsible for providing a copy to VLC for distribution to the members.

iii. Libraries must use the current edition of the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

iv. Libraries must use the current edition of the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules.

b. Enforcement

i. Each institution is responsible for designating one individual to monitor and enforce the standards at her or his institution. If an individual notes an error in the CR record that originated at another institution, that individual may not edit or correct it. Contact the originating institution about the error.

ii. The designated staff member at the originating institution will then edit/correct the error within two weeks of the initial complaint.

iii. If the institution continues to deviate from the standards the CR Committee will discuss the issue and, if necessary, vote whether to submit a formal recommendation to the Database Committee. If the problem persists, it will then be brought to the attention of the Administrative Council.

Procedures

I. Bibliographic Records

A. Authority to create original bibliographic records and to alter or create authority records in the VLC Database

1. Any staff member entering records for the first time in the VLC database should prepare ten records for a subcommittee of the Database Committee to review. It is suggested that records for all formats should be submitted for review (books, videos, talking books, serials, and any other format that the person may need to catalog).

The subcommittee should consist of three people with cataloging expertise, appointed by the Database Committee Chair. The subcommittee will work in conjunction with the VLC staff. The VLC will give the staff member access to the authority files so that records can be submitted.

2. When a request is submitted to VLC Database Committee for approval, the VLC Database Committee appoints a subcommittee of catalogers to review the candidate’s bibliographic records.

3. Subcommittee contacts candidate to review the timetable and expectations

4. Candidate has 30 days from the subcommittee contact to submit 10 original records, in a variety of formats, to the subcommittee.

5. Subcommittee has 2 weeks (excluding holidays, vacations, and emergencies) to review the records and arrange a meeting to discuss their findings.

6. If there are any errors, the candidate has 2 weeks to correct any errors or deficiencies in the records.

7. Subcommittee has 2 weeks to review the corrected records.

8. If the subcommittee approves the cataloging, or the corrected cataloging, of the first 10 records, the Database Committee will be notified that the subcommittee recommends approval of the candidate.

9. Should the subcommittee not approve the candidate’s cataloging, the candidate will be asked to catalog an additional 10 records, in a variety of formats. The candidate will have 2 weeks to submit the additional 10 records.

10. At this point, the subcommittee may recommend approval of the candidate, or the candidate may be denied approval. If denied approval, the candidate may re-apply in 6 months.

B. When to Add or Create a New Record

To avoid creating duplicate records you must check the Horizon system first, USING EVERY SEARCH POSSIBLE (i.e. author, title, ISBN, LCCN) before adding or creating a new record.

As a general rule make decisions based on practices stated in OCLC's Bibliographic Input Standards. When this source lacks sufficient information, consult the following guidelines.

1. Edition Statements

a. When all other essential bibliographic components of the record match the book in hand, Book Club edition statements and 1st edition statements should be ignored (based on OCLC’s Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Section 4.2, 250 $a. This means that a new record for a Book Club edition should be entered only when there is a difference in other bibliographic data (usually pagination or size.)

b. Publisher edition statements (Bantam Books, Jove Books, etc.) are of less importance and do not warrant separate records if all other bibliographic data is an identical match.

c. Statements about subsequent editions (i.e., 2nd, rev., etc.) and special editions (i.e., 1st American, Deluxe, Vintage, etc.) are important and should be present in the bibliographic record. The absence of such a statement warrants the addition of a new record in the database.

d. Paperbacks -- When all other essential bibliographic components of record match the item in hand, a new record for a paperback edition does NOT need to be added. This means that a new record for a paperback should be entered ONLY when there is a difference in other bibliographic data (usually publisher, date, or collation).

2. Date Discrepancies

Be alert to a date on the front of a title page, which may be a printing date. You can usually tell what it is by comparing it with information given on the back of the title page. If in doubt, assume the date on the front of the title page to be the publication date.

a. Publication/Printing Dates -- Publication dates are the key dates for proper record matches. Printing dates should be ignored unless content changes have been noted, such as, “Reprinted with revisions, 1986.”

b. Copyright/Copyright Renewal Dates -- Follow LC Rule Interpretation 1.4F5 [rev], which says: "Ignore copyright renewal dates for works first copyrighted before 1978." In other words, use the original copyright date.

But, if the record in the Horizon database contains both dates (or only the later date), go ahead and match to that record. Do not enter a new record just to get one, which follows the new practice. Do not remove the copyright renewal date.

C. When a Record Must Be Edited

Editing of records already in the database should be done only by those VLC members’ staff authorized to do so. (See VLC Bibliographic Database Standards, Sec. II and Sec. III) Editing is done to add information and/or to correct existing information. Some examples are as follows:

Choice of entries should be made according to the latest edition of AACR with particular attention being paid to rules 22.2B1 - 22.2B4 that cover various situations concerning pseudonyms. The form of the name should be consistent throughout the database. (Example: Smith, John H. or Smith, J.H. or Smith, John Henry or Smith, John H., 1934-)

Those libraries with access to a bibliographic utility will consult that utility's authority file to determine the correct form of the heading. That heading will then be automatically added to the Horizon Authority file, if it is not already present, when the record is loaded.

Libraries without a bibliographic utility will search the Horizon database using the AUTHOR or SUBJECT Authority search to determine if the heading has already been entered. If the heading has not already been entered in Horizon, verify the heading in reference sources. If the form is not verifiable, submit the desired heading to the VLC for entry.

E. Serial vs. Book (Monograph) Records

Monograph – A nonserial item (i.e. an item either complete in one part or complete, or intended to be completed, in a finite number of separate parts.

Serial -- a publication in any medium issued in successive parts bearing numeric or chronological designations and intended to be continued indefinitely. Serials include periodicals; newspapers; annuals (reports, yearbooks, etc.); the journals, memoirs, proceedings, and transactions, etc. of societies.

1. Look at the item. If there is a date (1989, June, 1990); edition (Ed. 12, 14th ed.); or volume designation on the cover, spine, or title page, then it is probably a serial and should be cataloged as one. If not, it is probably a monograph.

2. Look at the verso of the cover title page and/or at the editorial responsibility area. If there is an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN -- identified by its format: 4 digits\dash\4 digits (e.g., 0023-8976), then it is probably a serial and should be cataloged as one.

3. Look again at the verso of the cover title page or the editorial responsibility area. There may be an ISBN as well as an ISSN. Unfortunately, the presence or absence of an ISSN or ISBN on the verso is not conclusive proof that the item is a monograph or a serial.

4. You may search sources, such as Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory, for further verification.

F. Reporting Forms

Use the following forms when reporting database errors and/or duplicates to the VLC

II. Item Records

1. Title: The system automatically transfers the title from the bib record.

2. Item#: The system automatically supplies an item#.

3. Copy#: If the item is attached to a copy record, the system automatically supplies the copy record#.

4. Staff only: A check mark indicates that the item is only visible to the staff, not to the public.

5. Item Type: Enter a valid itype code for your location. Although you only need to enter the code, the Items screen automatically displays the full itype description.

6. Item Barcode: Enter a valid barcode for the item.

7. Location: If necessary enter a valid location code.

8. Collection: Enter one of your library's valid collection codes. Although you only need to enter the code, the Items screen automatically displays the full collection description.

9. Call Number: Include call number and any cutter. Type it exactly as you want it to appear in the catalog. The collection description will provide location information and will appear next to the call number in the public catalog.

When adding items to generic records the following guidelines should be followed for this field.

Annual report: Company name/Year

Artwork: Artist/Title

College catalog: Name of college

Equipment: serial number

Game: Name of item

Map: Title/Description

Newspaper: Title

Pamphlet: Title

Paperback: Author/Title

Phono Record: Artist/Title

Puppet: Name of item

Puzzle: Name of item

Travel: Name of Item

Vertical file: Name of item

10. Copy Statement: The copy/vol statement displays after the call number on the same line.

If the title is already available in Horizon, follow the established pattern. If the title is not available, then the pattern will normally be established using the following rules.

a. Use the title page as the source of information.

b. This volume specific information is most often used in open entry cataloging, such as serials, standing order, continuations, etc.

c. Use the following abbreviations

NAME ABBREVIATION EXAMPLE

1. edition ed. 15th ed.

2. volume v. v.1

3. part pt. pt.1

4. number no. no.1

5. year (none) 1991

6. copy number c. c

Example: COPY/VOL ($e) 15th ed. v.1 pt.1 no.1 1991 c.1

Small letters are used for all the above abbreviations. In most cases, there is no space between the abbreviation and the numbers and there is one space between each piece of information. When adding volume information only, add the necessary spacing to accommodate for filing.

The majority of items records will leave this subfield blank. However, if you use copy numbers, the following will be more usual:

Example: COPY/VOL ($e) c.1

All numbers and years must be written out in full except for years following a slash, which generally have only two digits:

CORRECT INCORRECT

1982-1985 1982-5

1973-1981 1973-81

15-19 15-9

1967/68-1969/70 1967/68-69/70

102-193 102-93

Additional abbreviations and words may be used in the copy/vol statement if present in Appendix B of the current version of Angle-American Cataloging Rules.

11. Price: Enter as xxx.xx (where x = a number). Do NOT include dollar sign.

12. Fill in other fields as needed.

B. Indirect Input to Horizon

1. 949 Tag Format Specifications

Properly formatted MARC records may be loaded into the VLC database using the Horizon import source after Horizon has been searched to verify that the title is not already available.

Items information should be input to the 949 tag subfields using the following format so that items records will be automatically created. This format may be used for serial as well as non-serial items. When entering non-serial information you may ignore any fields that are serials specific.

The data for each field in the Horizon items record should be entered starting with a delimiter symbol used by your bibliographic utility and a subfield designator. The following examples use "$" as the delimiter symbol.

Delimiter Subfield Name Example

$b Barcode $b33243000000753

* $c Collection Code $cBPREF

* $d Call Number $d641.5 Smith

$e Copy/Vol/Year $ec.1

* $n Location $nBPI

$p Price (do not include dollar sign but do include decimal)$p12.95

* $t Item Loan Type $tBLBK

$u General Notes

* = required fields

If other fields are necessary, contact the VLC.

Sample 949 Tag:

949 10 $b33243000000753$cBPREF$d641.5 Smith$ec.1$nBPI$p12.95$tBLBK

2. Rules for Creation of 949 tags

The following rules apply to the creation and use of 949 tags and subfields to be used by Horizon for the creation of items records:

a. Any spaces entered in the MARC record (e.g. Call Number) will also appear in the items record.

b. If a barcode is not included in the $b, the Horizon system will generate a barcode based on a pattern of ‘mq’ followed by the item# (i.e. mq3517903).

c. If more than one items record is to be attached to a BIB record, the data for each item should be entered in a separate 949 tag. Multiple 949 tags may be included up to a limit of 100 before a new BIB record is required. There is no limit to the number of Horizon items records attached to one Horizon BIB when added directly through Horizon.

d. When inputting price, do not use a dollar sign"$", but do include the decimal point (i.e. 5.00 for $5.00)

III. Serials Records

A. Copy Record Information

The information provided on the copy record governs the public catalog display, the claiming function, and the check-in function of the system. Each serial title received in multiple physical formats must have a separate copy record for each physical format.

When a title is withdrawn from a member library's collection, the accompanying copy record (s) and item(s) should be deleted.

When a title change occurs the old title copy record (s) should be set to “not currently received”. A note should be placed in the public note field of all copy records referring the user to the current title. When the issues of the old title are discarded, the copy record(s) should be deleted.

B. Publication Pattern Information

The publication pattern determines the prediction of issues used in the check-in function of the module. The Horizon system allows each member library to create individual publication patterns. Member libraries needing a new chronology pattern should contact the VLC staff.

C. Summary of Holdings Information

Horizon Serials maintains a summary of holdings for serials titles that are currently received. Summary of holdings appears in the Bibliographic Detail window for the title. Serials automatically maintains summary of holdings for only those issues with a copy record flagged for summary of holdings and checked in through SCKI.

D. Item Record Information

Whether or not your library intends to circulate serials, it is necessary to create at least one item record. This will activate the ownership icon in the public catalog

IV. Circulation

A. Material Circulation

1. Circulation policies are based on the item owning location.

2. See the Interlibrary Loan Procedures (Section VI) when circulating materials from other locations.

B. Borrower Records

Each institution is responsible for maintaining its own borrower records on the VLC database. Borrowers will be required to register separately at each VLC library. Therefore, it is possible to have multiple records for the same borrower in the database. The borrower record created by each library is only searchable/accessible by that library with the exception of a barcode search.

Horizon requires that data be entered in the following fields: borrower name, and borrower type. The system supplies the following required fields: borrower number, location, notice by, registration date, last updated, last CKO date, last authentication date, number of CKO’s, and approval status. A member library may request that additional fields be required for its location. Contact the VLC for customization.

The borrower's name and address fields must be entered in all CAPITAL letters to comply with the U.S. Postal Service guidelines. All other borrower fields may be entered in upper and/or lower case. Do not include periods after abbreviations or initials when entering data in the NAME and ADDRESS fields.

1. Borrower Record Fields

a. Barcode: All borrower barcodes must begin with a “2” and be a 14 digit Codabar barcode.

b. Name: This field may only contain alpha characters, hyphens, apostrophes, and commas. Enter the borrower's name using this format: last name, first name and middle initial in all capital letters. Titles such as JR or SR should be added at the end of the name with a preceding comma. Do not include periods after abbreviations or initials. Last names such as O'Leary should be entered with the apostrophe. Hyphenated last names such as Petulski-Gartner should be entered with the hyphen. Refer to the examples listed below for borrower name formatting.

DOE, JOHN DOE, JOHN, JRPETULSKI-GARTNER, JOHN M, SRO'LEARY, JOAN

c. Address: This set of fields will accept more than one address for each borrower record. The address type must be entered in the appropriate value. Enter the apartment, suite, room number, PO box, or rural route in line one of the address field. Enter the street information in line two. If the borrower provides only street information, enter it in line one. Do not include periods after abbreviations. Refer to the examples below for address formatting.

d. City, State: Enter the Horizon code for the city (e.g. SAG, BAY, MID). The complete name of the city and the state will automatically be entered in the field. Click on the CODES button if you need a list of the codes. If the location you need is not listed, enter “temp” to complete the record. You must also contact the VLC in order to add the codes for the location not listed.

e. Postal Code: Enter the borrower's postal code. The system accepts either a five-digit code or a nine-digit code.

48798 48798-1001

f. Borrower Loan Type: Enter one of your library's valid borrower loan type codes. Click on the CODES button to see the list of codes.

g. Borrower Stat Class: Enter one (or more) borrower statistical class codes. Click on the CODES button to see the list of codes.

h. Additional Borrower Fields: The remaining borrower record fields are optional and should be entered as dictated by your library's policies.

V. Newspaper Index Database

1. Introduction

The Newspaper Index database enables libraries to provide patrons with an index to their local newspaper. The records include the title of the article, an abstract, page, section, column numbers, and dates.

Choice of subjects to index will remain up to the individual libraries. Some examples are:

Major sports eventsMajor accidents and disastersMajor crimesVital statistics – obituaries, marriages, births, divorcesLocal governments and electionsLocal businesses and industriesState and national events that affect the local areaPeople

VI. Interlibrary Loan

In order to facilitate the successful lending and borrowing of items among VLC member libraries, all members should adhere to the following policies. These policies only pertain to interlibrary loans among Valley Library Consortium member libraries. All members agree to follow the "ALA Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States" available on the ALA website (http://www.ala.org). The list of VLC ILL contacts is available on the VLC Members website (http://members.vlc.lib.mi.us).

A. Fines

Fines are charged for overdue interlibrary loan materials at the discretion of the transaction library, and the transaction library keeps all fines collected from these materials. However, these fines are based on the policies of the owning library.

B. Lost, Claimed Returned, and Missing

VLC will send a “Report of Lost ILL" twice a year to each member library listing the items they own that have been lost while on loan to another library. This report will include borrower and item barcodes, title, and transaction library information. The owning library bills the ILL Billing Contact of the transaction library based on this report. Do not check the item in, as this will remove the link between the item and the patron. Libraries should not change an item’s status to “Checked In” unless they actually have the item in hand and should not pay for a lost item until the owning library bills them.

C. Damaged Items

If an ILL item comes back to the transaction library damaged (this includes an item with missing pieces as in the case of audiobooks), the transaction library calls the owning library to determine if full or partial payment will be due. The transaction library may chose to set the status of that item to “Lost” and then puts a note in the borrower’s record that the item was returned damaged. This maintains the link between the item and the borrower.

If the owning library does not need to inspect the item:If the owning library only requires partial payment, the transaction library checks the item in using damaged mode and sends the item back addressed to the ILL contact at the owning library with a note detailing the damage. If the item is beyond repair/replacement and the owning library requires full payment, then the item should never be checked in so it will remain as lost on the borrower’s record. Eventually the item will appear as lost on the Lost ILL report and the transaction library will receive a bill.

If the owning library needs to inspect the item:The item should be returned to the owning library, which will inspect the item and contact the transaction library to tell them the amount to be charged or that the item is damaged beyond repair. In the case where the item is only damaged, the owning library should NOT check the item in until the transaction library has done a damaged check in. If the item is beyond repair/replacement and the owning library requires full payment, then the item should never be checked in so it will remain as lost on the borrower’s record. Eventually the item will appear as lost on the Lost ILL report and the transaction library will receive a bill.

D. Yellow Bands

The yellow VLC flags should be used for all ILL items going to VLC member libraries. Books should be wrapped with the long version of the flag and the ends taped together inside the front cover or tucked under the edges of the book jacket. The smaller flag should be used for CDs, videos and cassettes. The smaller flag may be put between the jewel case and the paper cover (when possible) or taped to the cover of these items using removable tape. Flags should be easily seen, not cover the item’s barcode (if possible) and have the code for the library to which it is being sent clearly circled. When returning items, be sure to cross off any previously circled agency codes and clearly mark the code for the new destination.

E. Dead Requests

An “Unfilled Requests” Report will be sent periodically to member libraries so they can inform their patrons of a request that it is no longer possible to fill.

F. Request Pull ListThis list needs to be run at least once a day everyday that the library is open.